before the debate started, and romney did the debate prep in denver. when you go to 5,000 feet with a few hours to adjust -- >> i'm prepared for al gore at altitude for the presidential debate in 1996, and the issue is not the altitude, but the preparation. the president wasn't prepared to deal with an assertive and aggressive mitt myth. that's for sure. gerri, in the white house, the president doesn't get confronted. we saw evidence of what you saw before, four years of acquiescence by a staff that arguably didn't challenge the president enough. gerri: following up on that, you didn't tell gore to charge george bush, did you? >> absolutely not. gerri: good to know. you said you prepped clinton, and he had a different way of going about this. >> my partner, mack penn and i, handled the messages, and bill clinton wanted to be challenged. he wanted people to take positions so he would stimulate and simulate what debates were like. i don't have a sense this president is necessarily operating in the same fashion. gerri: as you look at this, we have a poll